A while back, the grandkids stayed overnight at our house. We talked about the time when their mom was a teenager and wasn’t feeling well. Their mom wanted to stay in her bedroom, so I found a little bell and told her to “Ring this bell, when you need me.” I tucked her in and went downstairs to finish up whatever I was doing. The bell idea didn’t work very well. Somehow I got too involved, and I couldn’t hear my daughter ring the bell. She finally yelled, which I heard!
I showed the grandkids the two bells we have at our house. One is golden and the other is white. The white one is larger and the ring of each bell gives off a different tone. Unfortunately, Hubby and I didn’t listen carefully to how each one sounded before putting them to bed. After going through the night time routine, we let each grandkid have a bell, which they placed on the dresser next to each of their beds.
As the dark night began to slip away, a little bell began to chime. Hubby got up, and checked the bedroom where our granddaughter was. She appeared to be fast asleep. Then he wandered down to where our grandson was, but his eyes were closed tightly as well. Hubby came back to our room and wondered which one rang the bell. It looked like they were both sound asleep. Maybe we were imagining it! Hubby jumped back into bed, we closed our eyes, and just as we were about to settle in, we heard the bell ring again. I wished I would have remembered what each bell sounded like. This time, I did the checking, and they both looked as if they were sound asleep. I went back to our bedroom, and we laughed and wondered who was playing this trick on us.
We heard it ring again and noticed, or were actually awake this time, and concluded that our grandson was the one ringing the bell. Grandson had a good little chuckle that day, and, of course, so did we. After their parents picked them up, I hid the bells! 🔔
A day without laughter is a day wasted. ~ Charlie Chaplin
Pieces were scattered Each one had a special place Except one lone piece
Winter is jigsaw puzzle time at our house. Sometimes, there are missing pieces. After this one was completed, we had one piece left over. We were puzzled. It’s not an extra piece to this puzzle, but appears to belong to a different one. Some box somewhere is missing a piece!
Are you a dissectologist (person who enjoys assembling jigsaw puzzles)?
There are so many sights to see in Stockholm, but I would love to go back for some more bites of the tasty food! We chose the restaurants on our own, without any recommendations, which went pretty well. Here’s my list starting with most favorite to least favorite.
When my son, Matt, and I went to Restaurang Prinsen, we didn’t have a reservation. We were escorted downstairs and ate at the bar. Close by, we saw some Minnesota Wild Hockey fans that were from Duluth. Many from that group ordered the Vara Hemtrillade Kottbullar, which is what I ordered. It’s what, I believe, is Sweden’s traditional dish of meatballs in cream sauce, lingonberries, pickled cucumber, and potato purée. It was quite the comfort food! Everyone cleaned their plates.
After our visit to the ABBA Museum, we searched “food near me” and happened upon a little cafeteria located inside the Nordic Museum. I ordered the haddock with potatoes and beets. Was it the butter that made it so delicious? What a surprise to find such a nice meal in a museum. The Nordic Museum has five stories of collections numbering over 1.5 million objects. Not being in the mood to explore that much, we just visited to enjoy our meals.
Since I only signed up to watch The Wild play on Sunday, Matt went to the game on Saturday by himself. The restaurant, which is located in the hotel where we stayed, was so quiet that night, I could hear myself chew! This beef stew and side salad filled me up.
I ordered this delicious salad when we stopped for lunch while visiting the Vasa Museum. It was another cafeteria-style place and was packed with people. The chicken was very moist and tender and accompanied the veggies so well.
Restaurang Riche was the first restaurant we visited. Many people were eating oysters. I ordered the half chicken, with fries, and a side salad. While we were chatting, Matt recognized Pat Maroon, who plays for The Wild!
This bolognese from Il Cabo in the Arlanda Airport was a treat. We ended up splitting this. You know how filling noodles can be!
CrabPotatoes and Broccoli
This one was not my favorite, so I won’t mention where we were. You might be wondering what it is. It’s the body of a crab. At home, we typically eat the crab legs, so I wasn’t aware that other parts of the crab are edible. That fact made me wonder what the Americans are doing with the meat that comes from the body of the crab. Maybe it gets canned… There wasn’t much to nibble on, when it came to the crab, so I was glad we ordered the potato and broccoli side dishes, which were quite tasty.
Thanks for reading the posts.❤️ Best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year!
Next stop: About Town
It’s so beautifully arranged on the plate – you know someone’s fingers have been all over it. ~ Julia Child 😂
The week before last, Harry, our daughter and son-in-law’s dog, came for a visit while they were on a mini-vacation. Harry weighs about 17 pounds and is a tan, curly-haired Teddy Poo, which is a Shih Tzu and Poodle mix.
Harry would stay with us for four nights. The first couple of days went well. Harry is a big boy now and can handle going for a mile walk. When he was just a pup, he’d only walk down to the corner house at the end of the block, do his business, and turn around to head back home. Walking Harry can be a bit challenging, because he wanders from one side to the other in front of the intended path and will want to go back to where we were. There is always something fun to sniff that just caught his nose. His nose can really dig down deep when he’s trying to figure out what he’s smelling. When he gets going at a good clip, I cheer him on and say, “Good walking!” Harry doesn’t seem scared of other dogs, when we pass them by. He’s not one to bark at bigger dogs. When greeted, that little guy tends to be the dominant one.
We had some nice walks together and a lot of cuddle time on the sofa, since I stayed with him the first couple of days. Then Friday came, and I had plans to visit my aunts. Hubby was off golfing when I left, but I told Harry I would be back as soon as I could and to be a good boy. I made sure to tell him “I love you” before I closed the door that goes into our garage. Harry wants to know that before someone leaves the house!
About an hour after I left, I was in the midst of talking to one of my aunts when my cell phone rang. It was Hubby. All I heard was loud breathing on the other end.
”How are you?” I asked.
”Not good,” he said. I waited for him to catch his breath while I thought Is he having a heart attack? “The dog ran away. I opened the door and he ran out. He’s scared of me.” Harry ran to our front yard. When Hubby approached him, he scooted away. Our neighbor, who’s in her 80s, saw what was happening. She came over and saw Harry scoot inside the garage. She tried to grab him, but it’s impossible. Our other neighbor, who has a beagle, was out and Harry slipped past him too. Later, Harry was seen walking along the curb of a nearby street. Hubby went driving around and saw him twice resting in between houses up the hill from us. Every time Hubby called his name, he scooted away.
I visited with my aunts for about an hour and headed home. They were concerned about the dog too. One said I shouldn’t worry. “The dog will come home when he gets hungry.” Those words kept running through my mind, and I hoped it was a true statement. As I neared home, I saw a black lab that looked like Lila, and I thought That’s a good sign!
When I got home, I walked along the road, where Hubby said Harry went. I went down to where we take our mile walks. Everyone I met, I asked if they’d seen a tan, curly-haired poodle. No one had. Our son-in-law’s brother came over to help us look too. We searched for an hour and a half. Thankfully, the weather was nice, but the day light was starting to run out. I wondered if grilling hamburgers would bring Harry back to us. The moment I began to think that son-in-law’s brother probably had a date, he said he had to go, and he’d come back tomorrow to help us look. Dear God, I hope we don’t have to do this tomorrow, I thought!
Hubby finally agreed to start the grill. While he got things ready, I drove down to the creek. I wondered if Harry was thirsty. Maybe he was getting a drink. As I walked about by myself, the light was getting dimmer each minute. I started to feel a little uneasy being out there by myself. I went back home. Hubby was gone, but the burgers were done on one side, so I flipped them over. Where did he go to now? I wondered. Hubby was back right when the other side of the burgers were done. He’d gone searching where I had been. No luck.
We quickly ate our dinner and saved a burger for Harry. We walked to the neighborhood up the hill as I carried a freshly-grilled burger in my hand in a bit of plastic. I knew the burger smelled good, because a King Charles Cavalier that was on a walk with his owner wanted to come over to say hello. We walked around the block with a flashlight while I called Harry’s name. No luck. It was time to go back home.
Hubby called our daughter almost right after Harry had gone missing. I told her that we weren’t having any luck finding Harry. She suggested that we put a trail of cheese on the patio leading up to the back door. All our outdoor lights were on. I thought Harry might be sleeping somewhere under a bush. I put together a “lost dog” post on Nextdoor with cute photos of Harry. I sent what I posted to my daughter and son-in-law. When I looked up from my phone and out the patio door, who did I see, but Little Harry licking up the shreds of parmesan cheese.
”There he is,” I told Hubby, but he didn’t believe me! ”Hi Harry,” I said in my high-pitched, dog-talking voice. “Where have you been? You scared us!” Harry wagged his tail and smiled up at me. I opened the screen door, and he came prancing in like nothing happened. This is when I called him a bad word, but I said it in a nice voice!
I deleted the post on Nextdoor, and we called the kids to let them know. We were all so relieved! Harry ate a good supper and I washed his muddy paws. Wherever did you go for seven hours? I wondered. He smelled like swamp, which we have quite a few of in our area.
The next day, we took Harry around the neighborhood. Our neighbors were happy to see the little guy. One neighbor said some of the neighborhood kids were putting cheese around their houses too.
We were so happy he came back. He must have been hungry!
Here’s our dog, Lila. Over the last year, she started to slow down and we knew it was time for us to say good bye to our 14-year-old black lab. Even though she hadn’t been able to run for a while, I remember how much she enjoyed chasing after sticks or balls when we brought her to the dog park. Running had to be her favorite thing, right after eating! I suppose she ran as beautifully as any dog, but to me she had the most graceful stride.
Lila liked to run away from us when we were about to hook her up to a leash or when we thought we could trust her not to be on one. One of us would search the neighborhood trying to find her, while the other would stay home waiting for the phone to ring. It wouldn’t take long for us to get a call. Lila would happily greet any person she met and wondered if they wanted to be friends. It was the best way to meet the neighbors.
Lila was good at reminding us when it was time for our walk. When we first got her, I took her for a short walk every morning. Lila would have to wait until one of us got home from work or school to take her to the dog park or for a longer walk around the neighborhood. She needed to run and burn off all the energy she built up during the day. Even if it was in the dark of winter, with cold snow flying around, someone in our family of five made sure she’d get her walk or run.
As she got older, she liked to sit in the front yard to greet neighbors, the garbage man, mailman, any truck, really, that drove by. Some would stop to give her treats. John, our mailman, took time out of his busy day to stop and say hello. John had a lab when he was a kid. When we chatted, John always gave Lila the best attention while petting her thick mane of soft, black fur. Lila’s tail wagged so much when she saw John, it made the rest of her body go back and forth too. Lila knew John was never without a box of goodies.
Luckily, I was able to be home with Lila the last four years. We spent a lot of time going for long walks in the preserve by our house. We grew tired of the dog park. Some of the dogs were not being taught how to behave properly, though there were times Lila may have seemed a little crazy when we first got her. Our neighbor used to comment about how he was surprised we still had her. There were times I was ready to bring her back to the Animal Humane Society. Lila was two years old when we got her and pulled so hard when we went on walks. She bit me in the rear to get my attention! She was so energetic and jumped very high whenever she got overly excited. Lila even failed the dog training class I took her to. The training involved using a clicker and giving a treat. All Lila was interested in was the treats and she barked until she got one.
After a year or so of being home – she seemed to have figured it out – that she was here to stay. Lila stopped biting me, pulling me, and jumping up on people. During thunderstorms, she no longer hid under bushes in the front or back yard but stayed in the house acting scared or excited like the rest of us. Our first autumn together, Lila was confused by the leaves on the ground, and tried to walk around them. I will miss the ways she made us laugh.
Coming home to our house without Lila in it was very difficult. Did we really hear the jingles of her collar, her deep sighs or her barking for a few days afterward? Now it’s quiet and she must have been saying good bye to us too.
We’re happy for the nice dog we got to have in our lives. She wasn’t one to cuddle, but she made people feel loved by the way she looked at us or smacked us with her tail when we came home from a long day away. Thinking of happy times is the best way to make sad thoughts disappear.
I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive. ~Gilda Radnor
While walking around the preserve about a month ago, I saw this funny guy. I usually make sure to see how he’s doing, every time I walk by. His smile came from a metal horizontal fence pole that he decided to grow around. A few years back, the pole was removed, but his smile stayed. It seemed the tree was noticed by others than besides myself. People decorated it to make him look happy and to possibly give a smile to others.
Last week, when I walked by, all the ornaments were gone. I anticipate more decorations in the future though! Even though someone took the decorations down, they couldn’t take away his silly smile!
If you don’t have a smile, I’ll give you one of mine. ~Author unknown
Last night, Hubby and I were lucky to spend a couple of hours with our grandkids while their mom and dad went out for dinner. We played some new games and read a couple of books. Time flew. We wondered if they were hungry for a snack, so I listed off the usual healthy choices that their mom told me about before she left: fruit, cheese and crackers, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, etc. Before I knew it, Grandson had his fist in the candy jar and pulled out a bunch of SweeTARTs in a variety of colors and flavors.
“Can’t you think of something healthier to eat?” I asked again, as I tasted one little SweeTART, which can make a person’s mouth pucker! Grandson said he’d like a sandwich with Nutella, which seemed like a healthier option. After I made it and Grandson devoured it, I put the baggie of SweeTARTs back in the jar and noticed squares of individually wrapped Ghirardelli chocolates sitting on the bottom.
“We could have a candy sandwich,” I announced, as Granddaughter laid a few little SweeTARTs on the kitchen table. I gave both of them a little square of chocolate and unwrapped my own. After I took a bite, a bit of sweet caramel came dripping out.
“Delicious,” I said.
“I didn’t know those were in there,” Grandson said. Yes, he wouldn’t have seen them since he just pulled the baggie out of the jar and didn’t look down toward the bottom, which is easier for me to see, since I’m still taller.
“Oh, whoops,” I said. Maybe their mom didn’t want me to take those. “It’s kinda like a sandwich with the squares and tarts all together.”
When the parents got back home, my daughter said, “How’d it go?”
“Not good,” I said jokingly, because the kids were supposed to have their pajamas on by the time they got home. We chatted a bit, while Daughter held Granddaughter on her hip. Daughter asked what the kids had for snack. She must have noticed the little bits of evidence on the counter.
“Candy sandwiches,” Granddaughter announced, loud and clear, with a big smile on her face. I guess we made a new invention!
Grandparents are there to help children get into the mischief they have not yet thought of. ~Unknown
A few mornings ago, four rabbits hopped around the backyard, not afraid or worried about our dog, Lila. Lila was inside the house at the time, but I thought animals pick up the scent of dogs and stay away from their yards. Ha! These rabbits didn’t care about any smells from dogs, which there are very many of on our block.
The rabbits will scamper away, when Lila comes out to play!
The rabbits played so happily that I’m expecting to see many more hopping around our neighborhood in the near future. Did you know that one female rabbit can have four sets of babies in one season? The size of her litter can be between one to 15, with an average size of seven.
Last year, many rabbits visited our yard. They ate the zinnias, clematis, and the cone flowers. They ate the row of hostas from our neighbor’s yard, one plant at a time. Those hostas have been growing there untouched for many, many years. Every few days one plant would disappear. We wondered, along with our neighbors, why they were eating so much, especially of things they usually left untouched. We decided the drought made it hard for their other food sources to grow.
Some people might consider it a sign of good luck to see that many rabbits in their yard. Others think it’s bad for their gardens. If we’re lucky, much rain will fall to chase the drought away. But then there might be even more rabbits. 🤔
I think they’re cute, but to be safe, I might just buy hanging baskets this year.
Have you seen any rabbits lately?
May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light, May good luck pursue you each morning and night. ~Irish blessing
Spring sprung for two days Then went off to hibernate We wish it’d spring back!
It’s been a chilly spring in Minnesota.* Mother Nature teased us by giving us a couple of days in the 80 degree range. The daffodil leaves grew high in the garden, but now the buds don’t seem ready to open. It’s as if they’re waiting for the sun to shine before they show their pretty faces. The robins sang excitedly as they snacked on the fallen berries in the front yard about a month ago. Now they quietly hop about with strands of dead grass hanging from their little beaks hoping to build a warmer nest. The worms, like spring, must be hiding now too.
Despite the forecast, live like it’s spring. ~Lilly Pulitzer
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* The temperature is 34°F, as I write this. Our high was 38°F today. The average high temperature for April is 55°F. 😏
A couple of years ago, I found a pattern for Marcy on Etsy. She’s quite a cutie, and I wanted to make her for my granddaughter. Soon after I found the pattern, I began crocheting all the parts: body, arms, legs, head, dress, underpants, booties, and bow. The pattern was easy to follow and the parts worked up nicely. However, it’s always a little difficult for me to make the facial features, and I wondered how challenging it would be to get the hair into place. Those fears loomed a little larger with each passing stitch, and I talked myself into thinking that, My granddaughter is still pretty young for this doll. I’ll give it to her for her next birthday. All the parts were placed in a basket and sat collecting dust for a while.
Suddenly, Granddaughter’s next birthday got closer with each passing day. I could wait no longer. I took the basket down from on top of the desk and followed the directions for putting it all together. Then it was time for the hair. After getting each piece into place, I remembered that I should have made adjustments to the pattern because I used a different size crochet hook. The crochet hook was larger, because I used a different kind of yarn. The hair ended up being too short and not lining up as it should have. If I would have completed it when I was in the midst of making it, it would have been done correctly the first time! Luckily, I had enough brown yarn and was able to work out the hair as best I could.
Last year, my granddaughter got her dolly at her birthday party and she hugged it tight!
Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task… ~William James, 1886
My Reality Show 